The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for Sunday, June 28^th
Lam 3:22-33
Ps 30
2 Cor 8:7-15
Mk 5:21-43

The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Audio

Our Gospel lesson today is a story in a story with an amazing ending. In fact it was so astounding Jesus said that no one should know the results. (Verse 43)

I was watching a show on KOCE on Wednesday of this week. It was a show about music and brain development, a fascinating subject. On it was a surgeon, a doctor who also had a PhD in Neuroscience if I remember correctly. He had been on the phone during a lightening storm where somehow he encountered a lightening strike. Before this time he had a minor interest in music, liked Rock and Roll, but had no previous training and did not play an instrument. After this encounter with lightening, which he called similar to a near death experience, he began to be attracted to classical music and started taking piano lessons. In only a very short time he played with flair and emotion. Overnight he now had an ear for creating new compositions and he couldn’t stop this infatuation with classical music. He said this is the kind of experience that an educated, rational person couldn’t or didn’t want to share with anyone because it sounded so strange, so unbelievable. Our secular world does not, cannot believe in miracles.

Jesus makes the same point at the end of this text. We might call this daughter’s near death experience something miraculous because it sounded so strange or so unbelievable. Her family said she was dead, but Jesus said “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” So what does God want us to see, to take away from this story in the 5th chapter of Mark’s Gospel?

This as I said, is a story in a story, a sandwich event so to speak that is a little complicated, so let’s unpack it and see where Mark is taking us this week.

These two stories take place on the Jewish side of the lake where Jesus had a reputation as a healer, a man of God who could do miraculous things. Prior to going across the lake Jesus had been preaching and many people were impressed with his teaching and healing. Also remember from last week just after Jesus calming the storm with the simple words, “Peace! Be Still!” he asked the disciples “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”

This week our story answers the question about faith and fear, about finality and future, about life and death. Both stories include people of faith, significant faith, people who are afraid, but their faith overcomes their fear. Jairus was a leader in the synagogue, he had power, he had wealth, but he was afraid of losing his 12 year old daughter so he fell down before Jesus for fear that his daughter was going to die. Death is frightening.

The woman who suffered from hemorrhages was not rich, not a leader, not a person of power could not even face Jesus head on. She was unclean, she had spent all she had on a cure, but non came and now she was afraid because she was at the end of her rope. Out of money, out of time, but not out of faith.

These people came from different levels of society, from different economic groups, but they both were afraid because their situations had become unbearable. Our money, our power or lack thereof, our status in the community play no role in God’s love for us.

Jesus called people with differing social backgrounds fishermen, a tax collector, he’s calling us, NOT because of our status, not because of the money we have or what we give, but God calls us just as we are.

I. First principle – Come as you are! We may be afraid, but it doesn’t matter to God. God accepts us no matter what. No matter our status. No matter our fears.

When Jarius came to Jesus when he saw him, he fell at his feet 23and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” Jarius came with an expectation of healing, of new life.

The woman who suffered from hemorrhages came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” This woman came with an expectation of being healed, about having her life turned around.

When we approach Jesus we need to come as we are, with an expectation of being healed so we can receive new life.

II. Second principle – Come with expectation – These people understood that Jesus was the answer; Jesus had the solution they were looking for in their lives. They came with expectation, they came with hope and they were not disappointed.

There’s a story about a business executive who was depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening he would eat his dinner in silence, shutting out his wife and five-year-old daughter. Then he would go into the den and read the paper using the newspaper to wall his family out of his life.

After several nights, days, and weeks of this, one evening his daughter took her little hand and pushed the newspaper down. She then jumped into her father’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him strongly. The father said abruptly, “Honey, you are hugging me to death!” “No, Daddy,” the little girl said, “I’m hugging you to life!”

This was the greatness of Jesus. He took people where they were and hugged them to life. That is precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in Mark 5. Jesus is loving needy and hurting people, hugging them to life. In these two healing stories the people involved could not be more different.

Jairus the “upper crust” of society, a man of substance, rich and powerful and religiously prominent came to Jesus with a deep need. Jairus came as he was, troubled, his 12-year-old daughter was dying, but he came with an expectation.

On the other hand, the hemorrhaging woman was a social outcast, unclean, under the judgment of God and man. Two vastly different people, the down and out hemorrhaging woman and the upper-crust daughter of Jairus, are both touched by the life giving power of Christ.

III. Third Principle – Come for the gift of new life, it comes by the touch of the Master’s hand. You could say Jesus hugged these two people to new life; it was by Jesus’ touch that the daughter and the women were restored to new life.

There’s a poem, a story about an old violin that I think tells this story pretty well.

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bid, good people”, he cried,
“Who starts the bidding for me?”
“One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?”
“Two dollars, who makes it three?”
“Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,”
But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said “What now am I bid for this old violin?”
As he held it aloft with its’ bow.
“One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?”
“Two thousand, Who makes it three?”
“Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone”, said he.
The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
“We just don’t understand.”
“What changed its’ worth?”
Swift came the reply.
“The Touch of the Masters Hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune
All battered with bourbon and gin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters’ Hand.

God calls us, each of us to come as we are. Some of us are old, some hurting, some are leaders business, some leaders in our community, some teachers, some retired, some not, but God calls each of us to service. God, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has given all of us an opportunity for new life.

Jairus came to Jesus with an expectation. Jesus said “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about. The touch of the Master’s hand is powerful, life giving, it can bring life out of death.

The woman who suffered from hemorrhages came to Jesus as she was broken, but she came with an expectation to be healed and she was healed. Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” She received a very special gift of new life.

Come as you are today with faith and God will once again give you new life to love Him and love one another. When God touches us it changes our life so that we can play sweet music in God’s kingdom both now and forever.

Amen.

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